Outlet box and fixture support



Nov. 1, 1927. 1,647,505

w. J. CORMAY OUTLET BCX AND FIXTURE SUPPORT Filed July 1926 Invenror. WclTer J. Cormay Attys.

Patented Nov. 1, 1927.,

j UNITED 1 ST WALTER J. com/my, or AUBURNDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

oU'rLErBox AND FIXTURE surron'r;

'Application'filed July '2, 1926. .Serial No. 120,011.

This invention relates to improvements in supports for electric fixtures and the .rihke and also to outlet boxes andnovelmeans for supporting the same separately or in .con-

within the outlet ibox uponthe supporting bar. a

A further object :of the invention is to provide selective means for mounting the outlet box upon a supportingibar .so that .it may be properlyarranged for different conditions, :including :those in which the outlet box may be wholly exposed :as in basement work, or in which itis required .to be par tially or substantially concealed within the surface of the wall, andin which the :box may be properly supported either'upon'strap studding or ceiling timbers, or upon drop metal ceiling work without requiring the bending of the supports :i'or the outlet box. In short, an object of the 'inventionis to provide novel. means for supporting an outlet box which may berreadily adapted to substantially all conditions. a

A further ,object of the invention is to-provide a fixture-supporting device comprising a nipple adjustably mounted upon a supporting bar independently of the outlet box, but which may be properly associated therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a nipple construction by means of which the nipple maybe employed asma means for connecting the outlet box to-the supporting bar. V

A diurther object of the invention is to providesa novel means for securing a canopy or a cover uponithe outlet box. Other objects and features of the :invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings .and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. .1 is a vertical sectional view of a pre ferred form of chambered outlet box :mount ed upon a supporting bar which is secured to ceiling beams of studcling, illustrating also the lathing and plaster ofthe wall iin which the :outlet box is mounted;

Fig. .2 is a plan view :of the outlet box shown in Fig. l, illustrating'the amanner in which thetarmored cables or conduits enter intoandare secured to the .box; U

Fig. 3 isa detail view illustrating the man ner in which the canopy or cover issecured to the outlet box; 4 a Fig. 4i is a detail sectional view through the nipple showing themanner in which it is-.slotted 1t0 receive the supporting bar which is'alsoillustrated.

Tr s. PATENT o'er-1on1. g,

. The installation ot-yusual 'typesrof outlet boxes presents many problemsowing to di-f ferent structural conditions of the buildings in which they :are installed. Chambered outlet boxes are usuallyrequired to be embedded in the walls .in sucha manner that the mouth or face of the box is flush with thesurface of the wall. As outlet boxesare of uniform diameterand are ordinarily illstalled by screwing the bases to a suitable support, various expedients have to be employed to obtain proper installation upon different types of structure, such as usual lath and plastered walls, constructions in which thelath and'p-laster is supported upon furring, constructions in which metal lathing isemployed, and particularly drop ceiling constructions in which metal lathing is carried by channel bars which are supported from hangers depending from the floor above. Furthermore, desirable locations for outlet boxes vary so that at times boxes may be mounted upon thestuddingor beams, and at other times must necessarily be mounted between them. lo-Diihculty is also frequently experienced in obtaining proper alinement of fixtures which depend from the outlet boxes.

The present invention contemplates the "production of .an outlet box construction having selective means for mountingthe same which will overcome the various dif ficulties heretofore experienced, some of which .have been enumerated. This is accomplished in the present invention by *providing anoutlet box adapted to be adjustably mounted upon a supporting bar which may be provided at suitable distances from each'end with holes to receive screws or nails by :meansof which it may be secured to the structure of the building. The outlet box embodying the invention is provided with selective means which enable it to be supported either upon its base 'at 'a short distance from its base, or relatively :remote quickly installed in the various types of con struction above mentioned without the necessity of employing special supporting devices. The outlet box is provided with means for securing it in adjusted positions along the supporting bar, thus enabling the outlet box to be properly located and aimed with other boxes. I have also provided means separate from, but adapted to be associated with, the outlet box for supporting fixtures, such as, hangers or chandeliers for overhead lights which likewise may be adjustably mounted upon the supporting bar. This; device in its preferred form comprises a nipple which may be internally, but preferably is externally, screw threaded as illustrated, and is provided with oppositely disposed apertures'or slots to receive the supporti-ngbar and with a nut adapted, when set up against the bar or againstsome other suitable abutment, to clamp the nipple firmly to the bar.

As the nipple is thus slidably mounted upon the bar it canbe clamped in any desired adjusted position thereupon.

A preferred embodiment of the invention,-

v-Jl' ich is illustrated herein, comprises a chambered outlet box having a base '1 and a. perip ieral, wall 2, which, as illustrated herein, of octagonal form, but may, of 601111 8 be made in any desired shape. The

' bottom. of the box desirably has a plurality of iiilOCl 0U ts 3 suitably arranged to pro vide screw holes for attaching the base of the box to a suitable support. It also desirably isprovided with a central knock-out l of circular form and of sufiiciently large diameter to permit a usual nipple, such as a one-half inch pipe, to project therethrough for purposes which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The peripheral wall of the box desirably is provided with suitable knock-outs through which armored cables or conduits for cables may be inserted. The peripheral wall'of the box also is orovided with referabl oni 1 .t positely CllSPOSGQ rectangular knock-outs 5 and 6 to provide apertures to receive a supporting bar. In Fig. 1 the knock-outs 5 and 6 nearest the base are illustrated, while apertures 7 and 8, formed from like knock-outs, are shown with the supporting bar 9 extending through them. The supporting bar 9 is provided with a series of holes 10 at suit- .abledistances respectively from the ends of the bar to receive nails or screws 11 by which the bar may be secured to convenient memhere; of the wall construction. eral wall of the outlet box is provided, preferably adjacent its mouth, with inwardly extending cars 12 in which set screws 13 are mounted which engage the supporting bar 9 and when set up serve to clamp the box firmly upon it. c

The periph- -It will be noted that the apertures 7 and 8 are located at a distance from the mouth of the outlet box equal to the thickness of the lathing 14 and plaster ,15 of the wall so "that the mouth of the box lies flush with the is permitted the base of the box may be secured directly: to a suitable support by removing the knock-outs 3 and driving screws through the-apertures formed thereby into the support. Thus itwill be observedtthe box is adapted practical universal use. By'thus supporting the box in proximity to its mouth, the outlet box can be readily installed in drop metal ceilings'with-. out the necessity of bending the channel bars which support the outlet box which has heretofore been required in the installation of usual'types ofoutlet boxes.

A'further feature of the invention consists in providing a novel means for securing the ends of the armored-portion of a conductor or an electric conduit in the outlet box. Tn the preferred construction illustrated herein one or more of the sides of the outlet box is provided preferably nearits base with knock-outs to provideapertures l6 and 17 of sufficient size to receive armored conductors or cables. If conductors are used the ends'of the installation and armor desirably are provided with usual ferrules and the ends of the armored conductors or cables are clamped within the box by a yoke having arms 18 and 19 adaptedto engage the respective conductors and a screw 20 extending through the central portion of the yoke and threaded into the base of the outlet box". -By setting up the screw 20 the ends of the conductors or cables, which project into the box, are clamped by the yoke againstthe diametrically opposite wall of the aperture or against the bottom of the box and held firmly in place. This con struction avoids the use of the usual connector sleeve and nut which has been employed to secure the end of the cable to the box, thereby savingexpense of such parts and the time necessary for their installation.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a novel means for securing the canopy or cover to the outlet box. Inthe present embodiment of the invention the set screws 13, which serve to clamp the outlet box to the supporting bar, are made of such length that a narrow space equal to or slightly wider than the thickness of the canopy of cover, intervenes between the cars 12 and the head of the screw. The canopy 21, which may be of 'anydesired configuration, is provided with an inwardly extending basal flange 22, (seeFigB) which is providedwith bayonet slots, the enlarged portions 123 of which are of sufiicientsize .to pass over the heads of the screws 13 and the narrow 'por: tion :24t of which is but slightly larger than the stem of the screw so'that the canopy or cover may be applied by merelypresenting the flange in such: a inanner that the screw heads will pass through 'tlieenlarged portion 23 of the bayonet slot, whereupon-a .slight rotary-movement will bring the enlarged portion from beneath the heads of the'screW so that the heads will engage the flange and prevent the canopy or cover from dropping.

A further and most important obj eot of the invention is to provide a fixture-supporting nipple which may be slidably mounted upon a supporting bar or other anchoring device and which may be readily clamped thereupon in any adjusted position. Such a fixturesupporting nipple may be employed with an outlet box of the character above described as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The preferred form of nipple illustrated comprises an externally screw threaded section of pipe 25 provided with oppositely disposed apertures 26 and 27 to receive the supporting bar 9. The apertures 26 and 27 desirably are in the form of slots produced by milling across diametrically opposite portions of the pipe as shown in Fig. 4: in which the slotted section of the nipple is shown with the supporting bar passing therethrough. A nut 28 upon the nipple serves when set up to clamp the nipple firmly upon the adjusting bar. Obviously the nipple is slidably mounted upon thebar and can be fixedly clamped thereupon by the nut in any desired adjusted position.

The nipple may be made of different sizes of threaded pipe. The slots in the nipple may be made of different lengths and widths to accommodate bars of different width and thickness. 1

Desirably the nipple is made of such length that it will be wholly enclosed within the box andthe end of the nipple will lie substantially flush with the outer plane of the box. By

box with which the nipple aforesaid is em- 7 ployed is adapted to be supported by its base different distances from its base upon bar, thus accommodating the building conditions.

or at a supporting box to various supporting Byreason of the present invention outlet boxes can be readily installed with a great saving of time over usual constructions greater. accuracy of installation is; insured, and the invention particularly adapted greatly to save labor as will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art. c J

Havingthus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by'Letters Patentflsz v 1. A chamberedoutlet box having a con-- tinuous peripheralwall provided with opp'osi'tely disposed bar-receivingapertures, and having inwardly extendingears in proximity to said apertures, a supporting bar slidably mounted in said apertures and set screws mounted in said ears operableto clamp said box upon said bar in different positions of adjustment.

2. A chambered outlet boxhaving a continuous peripheral wall provided with 0ppositely disposed bar-receiving apertures, and having inwardly extending ears in proximity to said apertures, a supporting bar slidably mounted in said apertures, set

ertures, means for adjustably securing said box to said bar, a nipple slidably mounted on said bar within said box and means for ad- .justably securing said nipple to said bar.

i. A chambered outlet box havinga continuous peripheral wall provided with oppositely disposed bar-receiving apertures, a supporting bar slidably mounted in said apertures, means for adj-ustably securing said box to said bar, an externally screw threaded nipple within said box having oppositely disposed slots to receive said bar and a nut on said nipple operable to clamp said nipple to said bar.

A. chambered out-let box provided with a base and a peripheral wall having knockouts to provide openings for electric conductors and also having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed knockouts in different planes to receive a supporting bar and means for clamping said outlet box to said bar. 1

6. A chambered outlet box provided with a base having a central knock-out to provide an aperture for a nipple and a periph eral wall having knock-outs to provide apertures for electric conductors and also having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed knock-outs in different planes to receive a supporting bar and means for clamping said outlet box to said bar.

7.: A chambered outlet box provided with a base and a peripheral Wall having knockouts to provide openings for an electric conductor'and also having oppositely disposed knock-outs to receive a supportingbar inwardly extending ears in proximity to said knock-out openings and set screws mounted in said ears adapted to engage the supporting bar. 7 1

8. A chamberedoutlet box having a base anda peripheral Wall provided with a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed barreceiving apertures located respectively at different distances from said base, a supporting bar slidably mounted in one pair of said apertures and means for sec said bar.

9. A chambered outlet box having a base provided with a central knock-out, adapted to form a nipple-receiving opening, and a peripheral Wall provided with oppositely disposed bar-receiving apertures, means for clamping said boxiupon said bar and a nip ple having oppositely disposed bar-receiving apertures slidably mounted upon said bar and means for clamping said nipple upon said bar.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

, WALTER J. CORMAY.

uring said box to 

